re: past lives?

[chatelaa]

I am not sure about the exact year, but it was only about five hundred years after Christ that the Church decided that there wouldn't be room for believe in reincarnation within the Christian religion. This decision was probably partly inspired by a wish to consolidate its power over the people. Reincarnation was a moe or less accepted concept in the first centuries of Christianity.

There's a quote in Sogyal Rinpoche's TIBETAN BOOK OF THE LIVING AND DYING  that has an excerpt from a Medieval European text ; there was an assumption that there was such a thing as Reincarnation.  It was simply an accepted belief by a whole lot of people.  

I'll look up the exact citation.

--Adele

I'm sure there are other

[Dashkova]

There's a quote in Sogyal Rinpoche's TIBETAN BOOK OF THE LIVING AND DYING  that has an excerpt from a Medieval European text ; there was an assumption that there was such a thing as Reincarnation.  It was simply an accepted belief by a whole lot of people.  

I'll look up the exact citation.

--Adele

I'm sure there are other

Yes, an assumption that was drawn more out of traditional religions (pre-Christian) I can definitely believe.  But as a part of early Christian dogma, this is what I have never heard about.  I don't doubt it, I have just never come across it.

[Merrique]

I think it is very possible that there are people that post/visit here who very well might have been a member of the IF in a past life.I can imagine they would be reluctant to speak about it because they wouldn't be believed or they would be laughed at.It could be they are hiding this behind their sarcastic remarks.

I'd imagine you wouldn't remember everything,but bits and pieces of memories would come to you.Some may say what would be the point of remembering a past life,you couldn't do anything about it.But I think it is a good thing to remember a past life.To address actions,fears etc that happened in a past life can help you understand/overcome those very same things in this life.If that makes any sense.

[Grand_Duke_Alexei]

I would not be surprised either if people on this forum had past lives involving the Romanovs.  Heck, since I like Alexei so much, maybe I am the newly risen tsarevich! (I am being sarcastic in case you didn't know. )  But seriously, it is a possibility that one of us, any of us, could have been somehow involved with the Romanovs.  From time to time, I too have memories of other people's lives, some I don't know who yet.  Once, I could have sworn that I had memories coming to me of the life of Bridget Bishop. I used to have dreams all the time, (and sometimes still do), about Alexei, but I do not think that I was once him, (Although, it would be so cool if I was!!!!!!! Lol) Maybe this whole reincarnation thing is just the result of overactive imaginations.  But I do encourage that if you think you are a reincarnated Romanov to come forward.

P.S. Just call me Alexei from now on.  Lol

[Maria_Romanov_fan]

I would have definitly have been OTMA, most likely Maria. Whenever I stare at pictures of all the beautiful palaces, I can almost remember being there. Also, I might have been Anastasia. My friends always say I acted just like her when I was younger! But, if anyone, I would be Maria.

[olga]

Well, I'm just going to burst everyone's bubble and state my own views. I don't believe in reincarnation at all. Period.

Atyeicticheskaya i Krasnaya Olga.

[chatelaa]

Well, I'm just going to burst everyone's bubble and state my own views. I don't believe in reincarnation at all. Period.

Atyeicticheskaya i Krasnaya Olga.

I think there are several definitions of 'reincarnation'.  The one definition I was referring to that is mentioned in Sogyal's book, has nothing to do with someone dying and then becoming someone else who once existed.

Reincarnation (the one definition I am referring to) is:  Since energy cannot be destroyed, but can only be changed, when one dies that energy eventually produces another life form.  But there is no carry-over of a specific individual personality.

That's the definition that Medieval people in Europe (apparently) believed in.  

That way, one can still believe in Reincarnation without believing in the possibility that Alexandra lives in someone else's body, today.  That's hard for me to swallow, too.

Adele

[chatelaa]

But when energy cannot be destroyed, thoughts and emotions and  basically one's personality cannot be destroyed either, as they are forms of energy too. When someone dies and his or her energy "consolidates" in another life form after some time, then why wouldn't his or her personality, thoughts and emotions related to that prior life consolidate too?

If one reincarnates with the same personality and memories, only a little bit wiser, I wouldn't consider this new body as some else's body. It's more like his or her own body, a new body, with slightly different genetical characteristics, which he or she shapes himself/herself while growing up.

Personally, I think that a reincarnated Alix would show some physical resemblance to Alexandra and would most probably have a personality, tastes, attitudes, and yes faults, very similar to Alexandra's. But she would also have grown up in, say, a Western country in the sixities or seventies. She would dress like you or me, would listen to pop songs or classical music like you or me, woud go to the cinema or theatre, would live in an ordinary house and would probably have a job. So you would probably not even recognize her if you met her.

Hi Helen,
  GREAT points!  I think we need a definition, now of PERSONALITY/INDIVIDUALITY.   HA!  And is 'personality' something that's permanent?  If so, where is it?   And if you can't see/hear/taste/touch it, is it Real?  And can one have thought without necessarily wrapping that thought up in a personality?  In other words, are there 'neutral thoughts'?
    AND (to make the definition of Personality even more complicated) one can be COMPLETELY different at age 50 than one was at age 20, so is it the same Personality/Individual?  What makes up an individual?  Can wet birds fly at night????Hmmmm??Ooops, sorry.  Wrong topic.....
   

     So, if we can't recognize Alexandra, is it Alexandra?  or just a composite of her energies along with some other energies from someone else?  Maybe lots of peoples?

        I'm just throwing it out there.  You have a great mind and I love discussing with you because you really make me think.

         Even tho I don't believe in the transmigration of the soul (from one entity to another after death), I will tell you this little true story:
        When I was about 25 years old (I'm now 58)I saw a blueprint of the Titanic.  There was not any listing or writing on it which might indicate which 'room' was which room.  A friend of mine showed it to me.
        I was able to go through the entire plans of the ship and state correctly where everything was  :  The 2nd Class Library, the state rooms, etc.  How did I know that?  I never was interested in the Titanic before, never saw a picture of the ship in architectural form.
        Maybe in a past life, I was on it?  In that case, you would be absolutely correct in your statements.

Warm regards,
Adele
                 
     
 
     

[chatelaa]

Hi Helen,
     You've almost convinced me; I'll have to re-read your post and then mull it all over in my mind.Great points.

      I have been told by a religious studies scholar, here,that the Second Council of Constantinople, 553 AD was ordered by the Emperor Justinian and not by the Christian church.  Pope Vigilius refused to attend the council.  It did not condemn reincarnation.  It did however condemn Origenism, but it was condemned by imperial authority not by the church.
     
      For those of you who are interested in the topic of Reincarnation in Christianity, there's a book that was recommended to me by a Reference Librarian, here :

Reincarnation in Christianity, by Gedded MacGregor (Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Southern California).  Haven't had a chance to look up the publisher.  Presentation is in a scholarly manner.

All kinds of issues arise in my brain having to do with Alexandra & Nicholas (as mentioned in your previous note):  Would events (since events are also energy)  be carried over?  Do we as personanlities create the events around us?  We aren't exactly passive onlookers in many cases:  Certainly we could say so in the case of Alexandra; many people on this List have mentioned how she could have changed her personality some  in order to make the events around her easier .

If her 'core' personality/soul is reincarnated, will be be eternally doomed to relive her tragedy? or at least some of it (since you did say that other 'energies' would be in her as well (in her new form).

Helen, thanks for all your thoughts.  

Warm regards,
Adele

[clwhisperer]

I don't think this has anything to do with whether someone is satisfied with their own life at all.  It's just what is - and some people have better memory functionality than most.

www.infinitesouls.com
www.johnadams.net
www.confederatyankee.net

Peace.

[helenazar]

I felt instantly at home in England and in St. Petersburg...

Me too, but I think it is because I had read a lot about both and saw lots of pictures before I got there  

[Leslie_Romanov]

I believe in past lives, my whole family does. I know my way around England, can tell you were almost anything is in London but have never ever been there. I know I was a Princess in one of my past lives but couldn't tell you who. I also know that at one time I was very abused and thrown off a clif into an ocean. I have nightmares about that at night. I also know that at one time I was an Irish immigrant coming to the colonies, and on the way I got small pox and was thrown overboard with my two young sons.   I have never really told anybody about this and nobody ever told me anything that could have caused theres memories, I just always knew them, I dont know why or how, but I have...

My sister was on the Titanic when it went down...

(Sorry about any spelling errors, I'm not awake yet)

[Sunny]

NAAOTMA, one of my favorite books is Jesus Lived In India, by the German theologian Holger Kersten.
I highly recommend it to anyone who might have an interest in the subject.

Sunny

[pinklady]

I must say I am not a beleiver in past lives either.
I reckon we are all here only once!

Sometimes I think some people get so interested in a topic they develop fantastic imaginations and have wonderful dreams.
That is my opinion anyway.

[RissiaSunbeam1918]

Well, IF past lives exist, I guess it would be cool, and if you have a regression done, it could be informative, but why does everyone have to be someone famous?   The Romanov past life that sticks out in my mind was that girl who was "Tatiana"...you know, the one who had long piano fingers, and who "always felt she didn't belong in this generation" and such?......i dunno.......I'm sort of half-and-half on the past life thing, but I AM a pliable teenager so....

-Dana